Monday, June 6, 2016

Music Monday: Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - "Never Go Back"

Today is the official release day for my book, Dropped Third Strike. (Click here to see the history, cover, and summary of the novel.) I'm having two celebrations (one local and one online). In honor of the story, I decided to find a song I thought fit my characters and their conflict in the book. I landed on this tune by Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. It captures much of what Kate is fighting for most of the story -- her past with Reid.

Also, here's an excerpt from Dropped Third Strike:

As
her brisk walk turned into a slow jog, Kate plugged her headphones into the
treadmill’s console and looked up at the television in front of her machine.
Her feet pounded against the belt as the one-liners and laughter of The Office chased work concerns from
Kate’s mind. She didn’t watch much TV, but one of the guys she briefly dated
had mentioned this show. While the relationship hadn’t worked out, his sense of
humor had been one of his most endearing qualities, so Kate checked it out one
night. She loved it immediately, and since the episodes were only 30 minutes
long, Kate found it easy to catch up and keep up.

When
the credits rolled, Kate began flipping through the channels. Unable to find
anything else she could get into, she finally stopped it on the MLB Network,
where they were discussing some of the latest transactions. It might have been
a little too work-related for what was supposed to be off-time, but Kate
couldn’t resist. Even before she’d entered the baseball industry as a
professional, she’d had a hunger for constant information on the sport and the
business behind it. As a GM now, she was always interested to see what her
colleagues were doing. Most of the topics were old news to her, as she’d
received calls and e-mails about various transactions and happenings all day.
However, there was one announcement that nearly made her trip on the treadmill.

“After
designating him for assignment early last week, the Mets have released outfielder
Reid Benjamin. A one-time top prospect, Benjamin’s stock has been steadily dropping
since his debut. He hit .250 with 30 walks and 120 strikeouts in his second
season as the starting centerfielder after signing a five-year contract worth
$100 million. Despite tallying 89 RBI, 20 home runs, and 40 doubles last year, he
has not been able to put together a full season without injury or incident. His
troubles off the field have also undoubtedly influenced New York’s decision. In
the last few years, Benjamin has been arrested a handful of times on charges
ranging from public intoxication to disorderly conduct. Just two weeks ago, he
was kicked out of a popular nightclub after punching a bouncer. That appears to
have been the final straw for the Mets. Benjamin now becomes a free agent.
Between the size of his contract, his offensive troubles, and the late
off-season nature of his release, finding work will be quite the scramble for
him.”

Kate’s
gait stuttered a bit as the segment started. Fortunately, she was able to stop
the treadmill and find the side rails with her feet before looking like a klutz
in the near-empty gym. For several long moments after the TV had gone to
commercial, Kate’s gaze remained on the screen, letting the name resonate
through her brain – Reid Benjamin.

From
a professional standpoint, Kate was not all that surprised by the news of
Reid’s release. His off-field headlines combined with his declining value and a
saturated outfielder market would likely leave Reid without a job this season.
She actually felt a bit sorry for him, and that sympathy annoyed her. Why
should she feel sorry for Reid? He certainly hadn’t done anything to deserve
it.

Kate
knew Reid well – far better than any of those scouts, managers, or GMs who had
been drooling over him for years. Reid also knew her quite well – in ways she
preferred not to think about. Much to her chagrin, they occasionally snuck up
on her. Usually on nights when she let her mind wander a little too far into
the past.

This is not going to be one of
those nights.

She
unplugged her headphones and went over to the free weights section of the
facility. For the next hour, Kate drove Reid Benjamin from her mind with every
lunge, squat, and curl. After she stretched and cooled down, she showered and
headed home for a quick late dinner and bed.

Kate’s
reprieve from hearing Reid Benjamin’s name didn’t last long. Even though she
was at her office by the ungodly hour of six, she already had three voicemails
mentioning his name. The last one was from the team’s owner. She shook her head
and took a sip of her coffee as she picked up the phone to dial his number and
set him straight.

“Please
tell me you’ve already set up an interview with Benjamin,” Mr. Scott blurted
out, almost before Kate could even say “hello.”

“I
haven’t,” Kate managed to answer.

“And
why not?” Mr. Scott demanded. “He would be perfect.”

“For
what?” Kate asked. “You’re aware of his history, right? On and off the field,
he’s a huge liability. I wouldn’t sign him as a player, and I definitely don’t
want him coaching and mentoring. Even if he wasn’t such a bad influence, he has
no experience.”

“Clearly,
you are the one who has not looked at his résumé,” the owner replied. “During the
off-seasons, he went to his alma mater and helped fine-tune the mechanics of
many players there. Most of them have been or will be drafted.”

“Then
why was he so horrible at the plate?” Kate asked.

“You
know what they say – those who can’t do teach,” Mr. Scott said. “Interview and
sign him. Fan Fest is in two days. I want to make the announcement then.”

In
her mind, the possibility was very doubtful. Her personal bias against Reid
Benjamin aside, she could not imagine him as a proper fit for the Pioneers –
professionally or otherwise. Neither his batting stats nor his rap sheet
inspired her. Besides, who was to say he would be interested in a coaching
position? Regardless, the owner had given her an order. She had to carry it
through. Honestly, it wasn’t as though she had many other options. The other
candidates had failed to impress her. Reid was likely to follow suit, but at
the owner’s command, she had to at least interview him.

Now
she needed to figure out how to get in touch with Reid. His information was
still in her phone contact list, but she wasn’t sure the number still worked. Years
had passed since she’d even attempted to use it. Trying to shake that memory,
she turned on her computer and opened her e-mail. The answer was in her inbox.
More than one of the replies to her plea for help had suggested Reid and
included his contact information. Some of them were time stamped before the
evening announcement, so either they had insider information or they’d seen the
writing on the wall. Interestingly enough, his number was still the same as it
had been five years earlier. She took a deep breath and picked up the phone,
dialing the number slowly.

When
he answered sounding sleepy, Kate inhaled quickly. Knowing how his voice had
once affected her – particularly when laced with the sexy, barely awake tone it
carried now – why hadn’t she rehearsed something to say?

Fortunately,
“Professional Kate” mode kicked in.

“Reid
Benjamin?” she asked in a cool, even manner.

“Yeah,”
he mumbled. “Who is this?”

He
didn’t recognize her voice. Given their history and the time that had lapsed
since their last conversation, this shouldn’t have shocked her or even bothered
her. But it did. She felt a distinct and familiar twinge of pain. Somehow, she
found a way to push on without sounding affected.

“Kate
Marks, general manager of the Portland Pioneers,” she said. “I’d like to talk
to you about the hitting coach position in our organization.”

There
was a silent pause on the other end, and she wondered what was going through
his head. Then she heard a rustle of fabric, which suggested he was sitting up
or getting out of bed. The mental picture rattled her as much as his voice had.
She closed her eyes, but that only made the image more vivid. She snapped them
open and turned to look out the window, nearly pulling the phone off the desk
in the process. She scurried to catch it and reposition it smoothly. She
wondered if he had heard any of the clatter in his silence.

“Sorry,
you woke me up,” Reid said finally. “Can you repeat that?”

Kate
repeated what she had said, though she could hear a slight tremor in her voice
that hadn’t previously been there. She hoped he didn’t notice it. The odds were
in her favor though as Reid had never been particularly observant where she was
concerned.

“Oh,”
Reid said. “I guess the good news of my release traveled fast.”

She
heard a catch in his voice. She couldn’t tell if it was hurt or annoyance,
maybe a combination of both. Kate, in turn, felt a little bad for her negative
thoughts about him.

“Yeah,
I heard it last night,” Kate admitted. “I know it’s probably too soon for me to
be calling you about this opening, but I felt like I needed to jump on you
before someone else did.”

Kate
immediately regretted her choice of words, especially when she heard him
chuckle. Apparently, he heard the unintended innuendo as well.

“Well,
you might be a bit late for that,” he said in a low voice, still clearly amused.
“Except in terms of employment; I’m still open on that front. I could fly out
next week.”

“Actually,
I’d like to talk to you sooner than that,” Kate said. “I could make
arrangements for you to be here this afternoon. We would cover the costs, of
course.”

“This
afternoon?” Reid asked. “Wow…you must really be desperate. Well, OK, but I can
handle the costs. As you know, I made a pretty good living while I was
employed. I’ll call the airline and get back to you with my ETA. What was your
name again?”

Kate
rolled her eyes and gave him her name again along with her number.

As
he hung up the phone, Reid smiled to himself. He hadn’t heard that voice in a
long time, but he’d recognized it instantly. He’d never heard the woman speak in such a
business-like tone – but he still knew who was on the other end of the line before
she identified herself. Despite the years that had passed and the substances
he’d ingested in the interim, Reid had never managed to erase Kate Marks from
his memory, even though he preferred to have her believe that was the case. He
would have preferred that to be the case too, but it hadn’t happened. Clearly.
His reaction to hearing her voice on the phone was unsettling, to say the
least. And now he would have to face her in a matter of hours. He really wasn’t
in any shape for a reunion or a job interview, but he had already agreed, and
now he had to go. Plus, he needed a job, and for the first time in his career,
there weren’t multiple teams fighting over him.